In 1976, the Cray-1 supercomputer was installed at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. It was then the fastest computer in the world, performing 160 million floating-point operations per second. The computer cost 8.8 million dollars and generated so much heat that it required its own refrigeration system.

By 2001, anyone could buy a computer that will fit on a desk, is 34 times as fast as the Cray-1, and has 32 times the memory. Moreover, it can compute, connect to other computers, play music CDs, and show DVD movies. This newer computer can also burn CDs and DVDs. All of this computing power could be purchased for less than $5,000. There has certainly been a revolution.

What began as a box of parts to be assembled and tediously programmed by electronics enthusiasts has become a tool easily used by office workers and schoolchildren. The rapid growth of computer software has enabled...